Draft Day Sports: College Basketball 2018 Now Available

Gary Gorski · 02-27-2018, 10:33 AM

Hi guys! Just wanted to pop in quickly and let you know that DDS:CB 2018 is now available.

There's a host of cool new stuff this year - one of my favorites is tweaking an old feature, the coach lineage screen, where you can see where every coach from a school currently is or find out all of the coaches that have come from one current active head coach. There's been a bunch of other improvements to recruiting, rating tracking for players and coaches, the ability to steal assistants from other teams...

The link below will take you to the announcement on our forums where you can find a link for the video trailer, the webstore and the game info page where you can find screens, the free demo and a link to the blog post detailing these and more. Thanks for the continued support as always!

• View topic - Wolverine Studios Releases DDS: College Basketball 2018

LastWhiteSoxFanStanding · 03-06-2018, 09:43 PM

This thread needs a bump and some love

This is an amazing basketball game. It has finally surpassed FBCB in terms of fun factor without sacrificing its depth.

Recruiting: Recruiting is deep without becoming monotonous. You are given a fixed budget and have to make choices as to whether to recruit nationally or just locally. You also have to check in with players to see what is most important to them so you can tailor your pitch properly. All of this takes just a couple of clicks and your choices matter!

Coaching: There are several offenses and defenses to choose from. And within those offenses and defenses you have options to tweak in terms of pace and structure when it comes offense and intensity when it comes to defense.

As a coach you set up your practice schedule so players can become more proficient in the offense and defenses you set up. Setting up a practice is super simple. Just a couple of clicks and you can set it and forget it unless your team is struggling! Every player has a card which tracks their progress and proficiency in each offense and defense. This also comes into play with recruiting. You may be high on a player until you see he isn't adept at your offensive system. There are meaningful choices to be made in this game!

Before every game, you are given a scouting report and are told the type of offense and defense the other team runs. Do you adjust your schedule that week to shut down their attack? Or do you stick with what you know?

The stats and talent levels look on point and the game is beautiful to look at. I know people are itching for the new FOF and OOTP but in the meantime give this game a try. There is a demo where you can try out a single season.

I know this sounds like an ad, but damn, it really is a good game and I don't want it to get lost amid all the other announcements.

LastWhiteSoxFanStanding · 03-06-2018, 09:50 PM

Here is a screenshot of the scouting reports. I think it is pretty cool.

Young Drachma · 03-06-2018, 10:19 PM

The real problem for me is the UI. It's hard to find stuff, there's no way to fast-sim and play from afar as a non-coach. I did create a coach, didn't assign him to a team and in trying to find my way around, encountered a crash.

I certainly like a more modern game, and certainly think it's good for people who play slower and actually want to experience the coaching side of things, but FBCB is still good for banging out 100 seasons in an evening and or building a history before you play.

But yes, by comparison, the detail and the graphical depth is refreshing. I'm just not quite sure how to work my way around it relatively speaking.

Gary Gorski · 03-07-2018, 04:21 PM

Thank you for the kind words LWSFS - the game is made even better by those who spend so much time doing the mods for it. You definitely made some excellent points on the depth and for those who are turned off by depth I just want to mention you can always assign duties to the AI like recruiting and it will do a good job for you. However if you like a game with great depth then recruiting gives you so many options to play with to build exactly the kind of team you want.

Some of my favorite new "depth" additions this year are the lineage option at the top which will track every coach that ever worked at a school so you can find out where they ended up and how their careers went after they left your bench (as well as the option to look up a list by current active coach to see who has the best coaching tree) and the tournament recap "show" that you can play at the awards screen.

YD - "hard to find stuff" is kind of vague. I'm happy to consider changes to the UI but I'm not sure what is so hard to find. There are the direct links at the top of the screen to everything. I would be happy to a) help you find whatever it is you are looking for and b) try to make whatever it is you can't find easier to find.

You are right though - it's not built for simulating 100 seasons for the heck of it. The real world mod provided on the forum I believe has a bunch of history built into it and I also believe there is even a mod that put the real coaches into the game. With things like the selection show and the tournament recap now its really a game that is meant to be experienced for all of the depth and cool features it has and now that importing seasons is possible from the prior game and going forward everyone can certainly enjoy their time building their careers even while upgrading each year.

Izulde · 03-07-2018, 11:40 PM

:o

Wow, that looks stunning!

As for comparisons, FBCB and DDS:CB have always had polar approaches to game depth and play experience. That hasn't changed. But what has changed is that over the past several versions, Gary's put in a lot of work to enhancing the macro universe of DDS:CB - especially in record keeping (probably because I kept pestering him so much about it lol). I need to get this version and look at how recruiting has evolved, but what used to be a tiebreaker has, IMO, been broken at this point.

Ramzavail · 03-08-2018, 10:22 PM

Bought both and can't wait to dive in when steam releases CB.

Gary, YD and I are made of similar cloths. He is talking about creating a fictional history and then diving in and immersing yourself, then rinsing and repeating. Good to hear that there is a mod that has the IRL history, but I'm pretty sure he wants/looking to create a fictional history. FWIW, that is one thing FBCB does really well.

Gary Gorski · 03-09-2018, 12:57 PM

Honestly, if enough people came to me and said the only reason they don't buy DDSCB is because they can't easily sim 50 years and make a fictional history then I would commit the time to doing something that would autorun things for a specified number of years - its just never really been something that a bunch of people wanted. I honestly don't know what FBCB does but a history could be "invented" or the game can actually sim through everything (which would take some time because the game is so deep) but anything is possible and I've always been willing to try and add whatever features people were looking for.

Ramzavail · 03-09-2018, 01:39 PM

I'm sure YD and I are in the minority, but I think in all the text sims that I play (and there are alot that do this better than others), regardless of sport, if possible, I like to start my solo game with some history before I dive in and take over a team. Even on console, I'll sit there and sim 5-7-10 years in MLB the show before I take over a team to weed out the real players (as much as possible).

It's not a end all be all, and certainly not a reason to avoid a game, but I think it would be a nice option to have. But I could be the only one.

Carman Bulldog · 03-09-2018, 03:54 PM

Former TCB and DDSPB player here (although never FBCB) and while I enjoy fictional universes, I always hate the lack of history and record books. I don’t need to be able to quick-sim seasons but if there was a way to have X years of history generated prior to starting my career, I think this would be an excellent feature.

It seems almost counter-intuitive that more games don’t do this, particularly in this era of text sims where league and season records are clearly so important to the player.

tarcone · 03-09-2018, 06:00 PM

Will this be on Steam?

Young Drachma · 03-09-2018, 06:13 PM

I didn't mean to enter a thread about a competitor game and shit on it about some other game, tbh. And this is a fair point, DDS:CB is a different game with a different focus, as other have said. I was mostly commenting on why it didn't appeal to me. Visually, the game is the superior game and in many other ways -- largely the fact that there's modern iteration -- is good.

I am definitely a sandbox player, and my complaints here really are similar to the reasons I don't like Football Manager at times. I think the main difference there, is there isn't a competitor game that offers the experience I'd want, so I suffer through the things I dislike (or do things like let the game sim on vacation mode).

But as Ramz said, I have no doubt we're anomalies.

MizzouRah · 03-09-2018, 07:31 PM

I'll be getting this at some point.. looks fantastic Gary!

Comey · 03-09-2018, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carman Bulldog

Former TCB and DDSPB player here (although never FBCB) and while I enjoy fictional universes, I always hate the lack of history and record books. I don’t need to be able to quick-sim seasons but if there was a way to have X years of history generated prior to starting my career, I think this would be an excellent feature.

It seems almost counter-intuitive that more games don’t do this, particularly in this era of text sims where league and season records are clearly so important to the player.

While I play out a history before starting up, so that I can better see things develop as an immersive activity, I wholeheartedly agree with this.

Groundhog · 03-09-2018, 09:17 PM

FWIW I'm also a big fan of generating history, however if the game had history built into it I would probably be OK with that, although I prefer fictional leagues with generated players. I'm sure I'm in the minority.

lcjjdnh · 03-10-2018, 08:41 AM

Has anyone made a guide to this game (or is the helpfile sufficiently detailed)? I bought the game last night but was a bit overwhelmed—e.g., how much money should I be spending on recruiting guides and camps so I have money to spend on recruiting.

Gary Gorski · 03-10-2018, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tarcone

Will this be on Steam?

Yes released there on 3/13

Gary Gorski · 03-10-2018, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lcjjdnh

Has anyone made a guide to this game (or is the helpfile sufficiently detailed)? I bought the game last night but was a bit overwhelmed—e.g., how much money should I be spending on recruiting guides and camps so I have money to spend on recruiting.

There is a quick guide from inside the help window in the game but come over and post on our forums - we've got a couple of members there in particular PointGuard, CoachC, Wayne23, bloomington and slybelle that are great resources for new players. They've played the game forever and are very active on the forums.

Johnny93g · 03-10-2018, 09:53 AM

I tried last years demo a few weeks ago, and i felt lost. In game, i felt like there wasn't enough explanation of what you should be doing right now. Some times buttons were greyed out, some times pressing a button didn't do anything. Screen changes took a few seconds at time. I don't know, i wanted to get into it, but I just couldn't. I might try this one, as i kinda have an itch....

Gary Gorski · 03-10-2018, 09:53 AM

As for the other comments I will make a note to try and do something about a fast sim mode for those who want to build up some history before jumping into a franchise (will note this for the pro game as well)

Gary Gorski · 03-10-2018, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny93g

I tried last years demo a few weeks ago, and i felt lost. Some times buttons were greyed out, some times pressing a button didn't do anything. Screen changes took a few seconds at time. I don't know, i wanted to get into it, but I just couldn't. I might try this one, as i kinda have an itch....

If you let me know what you ran into specifically with the UI stuff like buttons being greyed out I can help with helping you find your way around.

Johnny93g · 03-10-2018, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary Gorski

If you let me know what you ran into specifically with the UI stuff like buttons being greyed out I can help with helping you find your way around.

This is going from memory, so i can't say how accurate i am at this point. For recruiting, some options were available, and some weren't, and i couldn't figure out when things became available, and when to expect them too.

The game looked good, and thats why i wanted to get into it, but man, feeling confused about a game, at this point in my life(30's) i say to myself, i aint got time or patience to figure this out....

Gary Gorski · 03-10-2018, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny93g

For recruiting, some options were available, and some weren't, and i couldn't figure out when things became available, and when to expect them too.

Gotcha - at the top of the recruiting screen there is a check box that says enable watch list quick recruiting. Uncheck that for the time being so quick recruiting goes away. Then on the left side of the screen you will see it change and at the bottom there is an icon that says VIEW KEY DATES.

Click on that and you will get a list of each recruiting period and what options are available during each.

Johnny93g · 03-10-2018, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary Gorski

Gotcha - at the top of the recruiting screen there is a check box that says enable watch list quick recruiting. Uncheck that for the time being so quick recruiting goes away. Then on the left side of the screen you will see it change and at the bottom there is an icon that says VIEW KEY DATES.

Click on that and you will get a list of each recruiting period and what options are available during each.

I downloaded the demo, and will give it a shot. Thank you

SlyBelle1 · 03-10-2018, 01:32 PM

Just my two cents......this game is very good and represents college basketball very well. I have played many versions of this game, I think everyone that has ever been released. Every year Gary does a great job in making enhancements and continuing to grow the game. At the same time, Gary listens to all feedback and where it makes sense incorporates the ideas into the game.

If you are at all a college basketball fan and like sport simulations, its really a must have in my opinion. Even if there are other games out there, always room for more and this game just continues to grow each year. Bare minimum, grab the demo and give it a try...Gary is that confident about his game that he offers a demo where many companies don't anymore. Worst case, you spend some time with it....best case you end up loving it and you have a new fascination!

With the big tournament coming up, great time to jump in and to see if you can take your team to the title!

Johnny93g · 03-10-2018, 03:46 PM

anyone know how to install the real coaches mod

• View topic - 2018 Coach File (Used Bloomington's as a base)

The few lines of instructions aren't really telling how to install it...

SlyBelle1 · 03-10-2018, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny93g

anyone know how to install the real coaches mod

• View topic - 2018 Coach File (Used Bloomington's as a base)

The few lines of instructions aren't really telling how to install it...

Sorry, I don't use that particular mod myself. Probably best to post in that thread and hopefully the author will be in best position to answer.

Johnny93g · 03-10-2018, 08:58 PM

I ended up figuring it out.

LastWhiteSoxFanStanding · 03-11-2018, 11:43 PM

The most expensive bribe option in the game is 35k. Sean Miller really overpaid!

I have bribed three players and am currently 15-2 with Arizona with a 7 foot PF and a 7 3 C.

I have seen a handful of teams undergo sanctions and I am living in constant fear I am going to be next! I swear, if I can just get through this season, no more bribing from me.

Groundhog · 03-12-2018, 12:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LastWhiteSoxFanStanding

I swear, if I can just get through this season, no more bribing from me.

Said every div 1 coach ever.

Bisbo · 03-14-2018, 08:59 AM

Any chance you'll ever release a Mac version?

LastWhiteSoxFanStanding · 03-14-2018, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Groundhog

Said every div 1 coach ever.

I actually lived up to my word....for once lol

with no bribes, i was able to land the 8th, 11th, 15th and 22nd players!!! There was one player who hung up on me in the first round, i wasnt on his top ten list but i kept on calling and boom one round i went from not even on the top ten list to number one! on the flip side the number one player in the country who was from arizona,i coach at u of a, who i was number one on the whole time blew me off for nc state at the end. hope he enjoys his new car lol

I also had a player who got into a couple of skirmishes earlier in the year. Thought i handled it by calling him because he didnt cause any more issues. However the chemistry with his teammates never really improved and he was lashing out by getting technicals practically every game lol He was a great sixth man for me but between the chemistry issues and playing time he transferred. i was shocked! but it makes sense and is a good game mechanic. i will also be more aware if someone is tweeting wolverine studios instead of paying attention to me on the phone because thats what he did when i recruited him initially. all the signs were there. hmmm... is gary saying tweeting wolverine studios is bad? lol

LastWhiteSoxFanStanding · 03-14-2018, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bisbo

Any chance you'll ever release a Mac version?

I was able to play older versions on parallels. Not ideal, but its an option.

Gary Gorski · 03-14-2018, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LastWhiteSoxFanStanding

is gary saying tweeting wolverine studios is bad? lol

lol no tweet at us frequently - write a dynasty and tweet at us and we will share it with everyone

tarcone · 03-14-2018, 08:00 PM

Can you edit player? I love to cheat and try and set awesome records.

Gary Gorski · 03-14-2018, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tarcone

Can you edit player? I love to cheat and try and set awesome records.

Yes - if you want to try it in the demo just log into the game, click options, click the button to switch to commissioner mode, click the roster link and right click on a player to edit them. You can also do mass editing from the commissioner office by exporting to a database, editing the database and reimporting. Then just go back to options to switch back to your user when done.

Gary Gorski · 03-14-2018, 09:59 PM

Just in case anyone's interested in a game but a little short on cash...we're giving top 3 finishers in our bracket contest a free Wolverine Studios game. Doesn't hurt to throw an entry in!

Wolverine Studios Challenge - CBSSports.com

jbergey22 · 03-15-2018, 06:34 AM

This game is tremendous Gary! Great work! I've watched through 10+ game and you have gotten the game flow to feel right. I am playing as Northern Iowa and have started out 4-8 but it has the feeling that Im watching a UNI game play out on ESPN gamecast.

A couple minor details you may want to look at is steals seems a bit high especially for the top guys and you may want to replace "----- throws a ball into the stands with, as ----- was fighting for position he picked up an offensive foul" a few times a game. Turnovers seem like they are right but more of them should be of the offensive foul nature. I just had a game where my team shot under 20% at home which might be an extreme outlier but nothing worth noting yet.

I think another thing that might help out a person first trying out your game is perhaps a suggestion button. Its hard to really know which recruiting guide/s to buy when you start out. And if you mess up that first year of recruiting you probably arent going to keep that save long term.

Gary Gorski · 03-15-2018, 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbergey22

This game is tremendous Gary! Great work! I've watched through 10+ game and you have gotten the game flow to feel right. I am playing as Northern Iowa and have started out 4-8 but it has the feeling that Im watching a UNI game play out on ESPN gamecast.

A couple minor details you may want to look at is steals seems a bit high especially for the top guys and you may want to replace "----- throws a ball into the stands with, as ----- was fighting for position he picked up an offensive foul" a few times a game. Turnovers seem like they are right but more of them should be of the offensive foul nature. I just had a game where my team shot under 20% at home which might be an extreme outlier but nothing worth noting yet.

I think another thing that might help out a person first trying out your game is perhaps a suggestion button. Its hard to really know which recruiting guide/s to buy when you start out. And if you mess up that first year of recruiting you probably arent going to keep that save long term.

Thanks for the feedback and a suggestion button is a good idea - are there any other forms other than the report buying one that might be useful on?

jbergey22 · 03-15-2018, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary Gorski

Thanks for the feedback and a suggestion button is a good idea - are there any other forms other than the report buying one that might be useful on?

Id say budget thing is the major one because when you are first starting out you are given a certain budget for recruiting but at that point you really have no idea how much it costs for calls, visits, scouting, etc. A person might also wonder the advantages/disadvantages of attending one or more of the camps. You would basically have to do a couple tests seasons at this point to get your feet wet to know what you are even doing when it comes to recruiting. You have really nailed the key points of a great simulation IMO though in the fact it feels real in all aspects.

I am sure it is a struggle as a programmer to make things fun yet realistic at the same time. Sure, Id love to think I am Calipari and can get a 4/5 star recruit to attend UNI but the bottom line is that is something that just wouldnt happen under normal circumstances. Too often I feel programmers will take away realism to simplify the game for people playing the game. I am happy to see you arent going that direction.

lcjjdnh · 03-15-2018, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbergey22

Id say budget thing is the major one because when you are first starting out you are given a certain budget for recruiting but at that point you really have no idea how much it costs for calls, visits, scouting, etc. A person might also wonder the advantages/disadvantages of attending one or more of the camps. You would basically have to do a couple tests seasons at this point to get your feet wet to know what you are even doing when it comes to recruiting. You have really nailed the key points of a great simulation IMO though in the fact it feels real in all aspects.

I am sure it is a struggle as a programmer to make things fun yet realistic at the same time. Sure, Id love to think I am Calipari and can get a 4/5 star recruit to attend UNI but the bottom line is that is something that just wouldnt happen under normal circumstances. Too often I feel programmers will take away realism to simplify the game for people playing the game. I am happy to see you arent going that direction.

Yes—this was my initial question. Can anyone provide some guidance on how recruiting works?

MizzouRah · 03-15-2018, 06:45 PM

I assume there is a mod for courts/real schools/logos?

I don't mind fictional players but want the rest of the stuff to mimic RL college basketball.

Gary Gorski · 03-16-2018, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

I assume there is a mod for courts/real schools/logos?

I don't mind fictional players but want the rest of the stuff to mimic RL college basketball.

Yes big modding community on this game

• View forum - DDS: College Basketball 2018 Mods

Real schools, logos, courts, extra fictional faces and even a coach and player mod from what I can see there. All work with the demo as well

Gary Gorski · 03-16-2018, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lcjjdnh

Yes—this was my initial question. Can anyone provide some guidance on how recruiting works?

If you have specific questions feel free to ask but here's a quick overview.

You start with purchasing your reports for the season. For each region and then for national and international there is a gold or standard report. If you're a very small school I would recommend just getting the standard report only for your region. At a mid-major you can probably afford the gold report for your region as there's probably not much reason to go outside your region unless you previously coached in another region for a while and then those old states might be pipeline states so maybe you grab a standard report there. If you're a powerhouse you can probably afford to buy all the gold reports if for no other reason to spend your budget as the board most likely won't reply favorably to a request for a budget increase if you don't spend what you have already.

Then comes summer travel plans. Again I would only travel to the camps where I actually might get a player from. Travelling to the camps gets you information on the recruits especially in their notes. For instance it might tell you player X was a top ten player at the camp. The scouting service might not have rated him too highly so then you have a piece of info on him that could tell you he's a diamond in the rough (or possibly just had a fluky good showing at the camp)

Recruiting breaks itself up into different stages. On the recruiting page uncheck that box at the top that says use quick recruiting and then look at the lower left corner. There is a link for the recruiting dates - click that and you will see which weeks you can perform which actions.

The first thing you should do is look over the list and add players to your call and watch list. You can just scroll the entire list and press B (I think) to add them to both lists. That way you will be getting info each week. From there I like to double click on my favorite targets and bring up their recruit card so I can personally call them (they will get a call from your assistant automatically if they are on the call list) but when you call them you can ask specific info like to find out how they feel about the pitch categories. It is important to try and find what they feel strongly about so that when you make a home visit you can pitch the right category.

Its sort of rinse and repeat for the rest of the summer while you gather info and figure out who you want to go after with your scholarships. You still can recruit during the season but I always like to lock my guys up before the season when I play so that during the year I'm focused just on the games.

Glad to answer any specific questions you might have though.

LastWhiteSoxFanStanding · 03-16-2018, 09:21 AM

Also a good thread on recruiting over on their forums.

• View topic - Recruiting

It is one of my favorite parts of the game!

LastWhiteSoxFanStanding · 03-16-2018, 10:04 AM

some of my favorite screens from this beautiful game

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Johnny93g · 03-16-2018, 10:15 AM

whats the mod you used to get real people pictures. I hate the facegens in the game, the real pics like that would add to immersion

LastWhiteSoxFanStanding · 03-16-2018, 10:39 AM

glad you like it! it is something i put together for myself because i also hate the facegens included in the game. they creep me out lol

basically i selected nba facepacks from the wolverine site and action pc basketball and filtered out the players that were too recognizable to me and all the non white jerseys. gary recently upgraded the amount of pictures that can be randomly assigned to players in the game so my set is very much a work in progress but maybe ill zip up what i have and post it in the wolverine site tomorrow. the key is making sure the pictures are properly numbered , in the right folder and the correct size so the game can use them

MizzouRah · 03-16-2018, 06:33 PM

Think I'll grab from Steam tonight..

What is quick recruiting?

Also, LWSFS do you coach your games or just recruit? I don't know too much about basketball so I would prefer a coach I hired would do that part and let me focus on getting talent into our program. I play the Pro game because I like to delegate stuff to my coaches.

What mods do you use? I see a couple different all on ones and just want real logos/colors/names/courts/etc

Gary, does the Steam version get updates as quick as the non-Steam version?

Thanks!

lcjjdnh · 03-16-2018, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary Gorski

If you have specific questions feel free to ask but here's a quick overview.

You start with purchasing your reports for the season. For each region and then for national and international there is a gold or standard report. If you're a very small school I would recommend just getting the standard report only for your region. At a mid-major you can probably afford the gold report for your region as there's probably not much reason to go outside your region unless you previously coached in another region for a while and then those old states might be pipeline states so maybe you grab a standard report there. If you're a powerhouse you can probably afford to buy all the gold reports if for no other reason to spend your budget as the board most likely won't reply favorably to a request for a budget increase if you don't spend what you have already.

Then comes summer travel plans. Again I would only travel to the camps where I actually might get a player from. Travelling to the camps gets you information on the recruits especially in their notes. For instance it might tell you player X was a top ten player at the camp. The scouting service might not have rated him too highly so then you have a piece of info on him that could tell you he's a diamond in the rough (or possibly just had a fluky good showing at the camp)

Recruiting breaks itself up into different stages. On the recruiting page uncheck that box at the top that says use quick recruiting and then look at the lower left corner. There is a link for the recruiting dates - click that and you will see which weeks you can perform which actions.

The first thing you should do is look over the list and add players to your call and watch list. You can just scroll the entire list and press B (I think) to add them to both lists. That way you will be getting info each week. From there I like to double click on my favorite targets and bring up their recruit card so I can personally call them (they will get a call from your assistant automatically if they are on the call list) but when you call them you can ask specific info like to find out how they feel about the pitch categories. It is important to try and find what they feel strongly about so that when you make a home visit you can pitch the right category.

Its sort of rinse and repeat for the rest of the summer while you gather info and figure out who you want to go after with your scholarships. You still can recruit during the season but I always like to lock my guys up before the season when I play so that during the year I'm focused just on the games.

Glad to answer any specific questions you might have though.

Thanks. Helpful.

Some specific questions:

1) Do players de-commit after verbal, or I am safe not recruit at that point?
2) Does calling personally give any “bonus” in recruiting, or just a way to get more info?
3) Is there anyway to get recommendations for training (or other tasks)? Didn’t want to defer completely but also would appreciate some guidance I could tweak.

03-07-2018, 04:21 PM	#5
Gary Gorski Wolverine Studios Join Date: Oct 2003	Thank you for the kind words LWSFS - the game is made even better by those who spend so much time doing the mods for it. You definitely made some excellent points on the depth and for those who are turned off by depth I just want to mention you can always assign duties to the AI like recruiting and it will do a good job for you. However if you like a game with great depth then recruiting gives you so many options to play with to build exactly the kind of team you want. Some of my favorite new "depth" additions this year are the lineage option at the top which will track every coach that ever worked at a school so you can find out where they ended up and how their careers went after they left your bench (as well as the option to look up a list by current active coach to see who has the best coaching tree) and the tournament recap "show" that you can play at the awards screen. YD - "hard to find stuff" is kind of vague. I'm happy to consider changes to the UI but I'm not sure what is so hard to find. There are the direct links at the top of the screen to everything. I would be happy to a) help you find whatever it is you are looking for and b) try to make whatever it is you can't find easier to find. You are right though - it's not built for simulating 100 seasons for the heck of it. The real world mod provided on the forum I believe has a bunch of history built into it and I also believe there is even a mod that put the real coaches into the game. With things like the selection show and the tournament recap now its really a game that is meant to be experienced for all of the depth and cool features it has and now that importing seasons is possible from the prior game and going forward everyone can certainly enjoy their time building their careers even while upgrading each year. __________________ Wolverine Studios http://www.wolverinestudios.com Last edited by Gary Gorski : 03-07-2018 at 04:22 PM.

03-07-2018, 11:40 PM	#6
Izulde Head Coach Join Date: Sep 2004	:o Wow, that looks stunning! As for comparisons, FBCB and DDS:CB have always had polar approaches to game depth and play experience. That hasn't changed. But what has changed is that over the past several versions, Gary's put in a lot of work to enhancing the macro universe of DDS:CB - especially in record keeping (probably because I kept pestering him so much about it lol). I need to get this version and look at how recruiting has evolved, but what used to be a tiebreaker has, IMO, been broken at this point. __________________ 2006 Golden Scribe Nominee 2006 Golden Scribe Winner Best Non-Sport Dynasty: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty) Rookie Writer of the Year Dynasty of the Year: May Our Reign Be Green and Golden (CK Dynasty)

03-08-2018, 10:22 PM	#7
Ramzavail College Starter Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Strong Island, NY	Bought both and can't wait to dive in when steam releases CB. Gary, YD and I are made of similar cloths. He is talking about creating a fictional history and then diving in and immersing yourself, then rinsing and repeating. Good to hear that there is a mod that has the IRL history, but I'm pretty sure he wants/looking to create a fictional history. FWIW, that is one thing FBCB does really well. Last edited by Ramzavail : 03-08-2018 at 10:23 PM.

03-09-2018, 12:57 PM	#8
Gary Gorski Wolverine Studios Join Date: Oct 2003	Honestly, if enough people came to me and said the only reason they don't buy DDSCB is because they can't easily sim 50 years and make a fictional history then I would commit the time to doing something that would autorun things for a specified number of years - its just never really been something that a bunch of people wanted. I honestly don't know what FBCB does but a history could be "invented" or the game can actually sim through everything (which would take some time because the game is so deep) but anything is possible and I've always been willing to try and add whatever features people were looking for. __________________ Wolverine Studios http://www.wolverinestudios.com

03-09-2018, 06:00 PM	#11
tarcone Coordinator Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Pacific	Will this be on Steam? __________________ Excuses are for wusses- Spencer Lee Punting is Winning- Tory Taylor The word is Fight! Fight! Fight! For Iowa FOFC 30 Dollar Challenge Champion-OOTP '15

03-06-2018, 09:43 PM	#2
LastWhiteSoxFanStanding College Starter Join Date: Jun 2003	This thread needs a bump and some love This is an amazing basketball game. It has finally surpassed FBCB in terms of fun factor without sacrificing its depth. Recruiting: Recruiting is deep without becoming monotonous. You are given a fixed budget and have to make choices as to whether to recruit nationally or just locally. You also have to check in with players to see what is most important to them so you can tailor your pitch properly. All of this takes just a couple of clicks and your choices matter! Coaching: There are several offenses and defenses to choose from. And within those offenses and defenses you have options to tweak in terms of pace and structure when it comes offense and intensity when it comes to defense. As a coach you set up your practice schedule so players can become more proficient in the offense and defenses you set up. Setting up a practice is super simple. Just a couple of clicks and you can set it and forget it unless your team is struggling! Every player has a card which tracks their progress and proficiency in each offense and defense. This also comes into play with recruiting. You may be high on a player until you see he isn't adept at your offensive system. There are meaningful choices to be made in this game! Before every game, you are given a scouting report and are told the type of offense and defense the other team runs. Do you adjust your schedule that week to shut down their attack? Or do you stick with what you know? The stats and talent levels look on point and the game is beautiful to look at. I know people are itching for the new FOF and OOTP but in the meantime give this game a try. There is a demo where you can try out a single season. I know this sounds like an ad, but damn, it really is a good game and I don't want it to get lost amid all the other announcements.

03-06-2018, 10:19 PM	#4
Young Drachma Dark Cloud Join Date: Apr 2001	The real problem for me is the UI. It's hard to find stuff, there's no way to fast-sim and play from afar as a non-coach. I did create a coach, didn't assign him to a team and in trying to find my way around, encountered a crash. I certainly like a more modern game, and certainly think it's good for people who play slower and actually want to experience the coaching side of things, but FBCB is still good for banging out 100 seasons in an evening and or building a history before you play. But yes, by comparison, the detail and the graphical depth is refreshing. I'm just not quite sure how to work my way around it relatively speaking.

03-09-2018, 01:39 PM	#9
Ramzavail College Starter Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Strong Island, NY	I'm sure YD and I are in the minority, but I think in all the text sims that I play (and there are alot that do this better than others), regardless of sport, if possible, I like to start my solo game with some history before I dive in and take over a team. Even on console, I'll sit there and sim 5-7-10 years in MLB the show before I take over a team to weed out the real players (as much as possible). It's not a end all be all, and certainly not a reason to avoid a game, but I think it would be a nice option to have. But I could be the only one.

03-09-2018, 03:54 PM	#10
Carman Bulldog College Benchwarmer Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Canada	Former TCB and DDSPB player here (although never FBCB) and while I enjoy fictional universes, I always hate the lack of history and record books. I don’t need to be able to quick-sim seasons but if there was a way to have X years of history generated prior to starting my career, I think this would be an excellent feature. It seems almost counter-intuitive that more games don’t do this, particularly in this era of text sims where league and season records are clearly so important to the player.

03-09-2018, 06:13 PM	#12
Young Drachma Dark Cloud Join Date: Apr 2001	I didn't mean to enter a thread about a competitor game and shit on it about some other game, tbh. And this is a fair point, DDS:CB is a different game with a different focus, as other have said. I was mostly commenting on why it didn't appeal to me. Visually, the game is the superior game and in many other ways -- largely the fact that there's modern iteration -- is good. I am definitely a sandbox player, and my complaints here really are similar to the reasons I don't like Football Manager at times. I think the main difference there, is there isn't a competitor game that offers the experience I'd want, so I suffer through the things I dislike (or do things like let the game sim on vacation mode). But as Ramz said, I have no doubt we're anomalies.

03-09-2018, 07:31 PM	#13
MizzouRah Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Troy, Mo	I'll be getting this at some point.. looks fantastic Gary!

03-09-2018, 09:17 PM	#15
Groundhog Coordinator Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Sydney, Australia	FWIW I'm also a big fan of generating history, however if the game had history built into it I would probably be OK with that, although I prefer fictional leagues with generated players. I'm sure I'm in the minority. __________________ Politics, n. Strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. --Ambrose Bierce

03-10-2018, 08:41 AM	#16
lcjjdnh College Prospect Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: NJ	Has anyone made a guide to this game (or is the helpfile sufficiently detailed)? I bought the game last night but was a bit overwhelmed—e.g., how much money should I be spending on recruiting guides and camps so I have money to spend on recruiting.

03-10-2018, 09:53 AM	#19
Johnny93g College Starter Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Toronto	I tried last years demo a few weeks ago, and i felt lost. In game, i felt like there wasn't enough explanation of what you should be doing right now. Some times buttons were greyed out, some times pressing a button didn't do anything. Screen changes took a few seconds at time. I don't know, i wanted to get into it, but I just couldn't. I might try this one, as i kinda have an itch.... __________________ FOOL- Toronto Marlboros FOOL Classic Champions 2073, 2078, 2079, 2114, 2116, 2117, 2129, 2152, 2155, 2169, 2192 46 35 FOOL H- New York Giants World Champions 1914, 1928 BBCF: Notre Dame TML Last edited by Johnny93g : 03-10-2018 at 09:55 AM.

03-10-2018, 01:32 PM	#25
SlyBelle1 High School Varsity Join Date: Apr 2005	Just my two cents......this game is very good and represents college basketball very well. I have played many versions of this game, I think everyone that has ever been released. Every year Gary does a great job in making enhancements and continuing to grow the game. At the same time, Gary listens to all feedback and where it makes sense incorporates the ideas into the game. If you are at all a college basketball fan and like sport simulations, its really a must have in my opinion. Even if there are other games out there, always room for more and this game just continues to grow each year. Bare minimum, grab the demo and give it a try...Gary is that confident about his game that he offers a demo where many companies don't anymore. Worst case, you spend some time with it....best case you end up loving it and you have a new fascination! With the big tournament coming up, great time to jump in and to see if you can take your team to the title!

03-10-2018, 03:46 PM	#26
Johnny93g College Starter Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Toronto	anyone know how to install the real coaches mod • View topic - 2018 Coach File (Used Bloomington's as a base) The few lines of instructions aren't really telling how to install it... __________________ FOOL- Toronto Marlboros FOOL Classic Champions 2073, 2078, 2079, 2114, 2116, 2117, 2129, 2152, 2155, 2169, 2192 46 35 FOOL H- New York Giants World Champions 1914, 1928 BBCF: Notre Dame TML

03-10-2018, 08:58 PM	#28
Johnny93g College Starter Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Toronto	I ended up figuring it out. __________________ FOOL- Toronto Marlboros FOOL Classic Champions 2073, 2078, 2079, 2114, 2116, 2117, 2129, 2152, 2155, 2169, 2192 46 35 FOOL H- New York Giants World Champions 1914, 1928 BBCF: Notre Dame TML

03-11-2018, 11:43 PM	#29
LastWhiteSoxFanStanding College Starter Join Date: Jun 2003	The most expensive bribe option in the game is 35k. Sean Miller really overpaid! I have bribed three players and am currently 15-2 with Arizona with a 7 foot PF and a 7 3 C. I have seen a handful of teams undergo sanctions and I am living in constant fear I am going to be next! I swear, if I can just get through this season, no more bribing from me.

03-14-2018, 08:59 AM	#31
Bisbo H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Mar 2006	Any chance you'll ever release a Mac version?

03-14-2018, 08:00 PM	#35
tarcone Coordinator Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Pacific	Can you edit player? I love to cheat and try and set awesome records. __________________ Excuses are for wusses- Spencer Lee Punting is Winning- Tory Taylor The word is Fight! Fight! Fight! For Iowa FOFC 30 Dollar Challenge Champion-OOTP '15

03-14-2018, 09:59 PM	#37
Gary Gorski Wolverine Studios Join Date: Oct 2003	Just in case anyone's interested in a game but a little short on cash...we're giving top 3 finishers in our bracket contest a free Wolverine Studios game. Doesn't hurt to throw an entry in! Wolverine Studios Challenge - CBSSports.com __________________ Wolverine Studios http://www.wolverinestudios.com

03-15-2018, 06:34 AM	#38
jbergey22 Grizzled Veteran Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Minnesota	This game is tremendous Gary! Great work! I've watched through 10+ game and you have gotten the game flow to feel right. I am playing as Northern Iowa and have started out 4-8 but it has the feeling that Im watching a UNI game play out on ESPN gamecast. A couple minor details you may want to look at is steals seems a bit high especially for the top guys and you may want to replace "----- throws a ball into the stands with, as ----- was fighting for position he picked up an offensive foul" a few times a game. Turnovers seem like they are right but more of them should be of the offensive foul nature. I just had a game where my team shot under 20% at home which might be an extreme outlier but nothing worth noting yet. I think another thing that might help out a person first trying out your game is perhaps a suggestion button. Its hard to really know which recruiting guide/s to buy when you start out. And if you mess up that first year of recruiting you probably arent going to keep that save long term. Last edited by jbergey22 : 03-15-2018 at 06:40 AM.

03-15-2018, 06:45 PM	#42
MizzouRah Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Troy, Mo	I assume there is a mod for courts/real schools/logos? I don't mind fictional players but want the rest of the stuff to mimic RL college basketball.

03-16-2018, 09:21 AM	#45
LastWhiteSoxFanStanding College Starter Join Date: Jun 2003	Also a good thread on recruiting over on their forums. • View topic - Recruiting It is one of my favorite parts of the game!

03-16-2018, 10:04 AM	#46
LastWhiteSoxFanStanding College Starter Join Date: Jun 2003	some of my favorite screens from this beautiful game Capturelllll.jpg khkjkn.jpg fffff.PNG nnnn.PNG lkhljkbj.jpg mmmmmk.jpg

03-16-2018, 10:15 AM	#47
Johnny93g College Starter Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Toronto	whats the mod you used to get real people pictures. I hate the facegens in the game, the real pics like that would add to immersion __________________ FOOL- Toronto Marlboros FOOL Classic Champions 2073, 2078, 2079, 2114, 2116, 2117, 2129, 2152, 2155, 2169, 2192 46 35 FOOL H- New York Giants World Champions 1914, 1928 BBCF: Notre Dame TML

03-16-2018, 10:39 AM	#48
LastWhiteSoxFanStanding College Starter Join Date: Jun 2003	glad you like it! it is something i put together for myself because i also hate the facegens included in the game. they creep me out lol basically i selected nba facepacks from the wolverine site and action pc basketball and filtered out the players that were too recognizable to me and all the non white jerseys. gary recently upgraded the amount of pictures that can be randomly assigned to players in the game so my set is very much a work in progress but maybe ill zip up what i have and post it in the wolverine site tomorrow. the key is making sure the pictures are properly numbered , in the right folder and the correct size so the game can use them

03-16-2018, 06:33 PM	#49
MizzouRah Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Troy, Mo	Think I'll grab from Steam tonight.. What is quick recruiting? Also, LWSFS do you coach your games or just recruit? I don't know too much about basketball so I would prefer a coach I hired would do that part and let me focus on getting talent into our program. I play the Pro game because I like to delegate stuff to my coaches. What mods do you use? I see a couple different all on ones and just want real logos/colors/names/courts/etc Gary, does the Steam version get updates as quick as the non-Steam version? Thanks! Last edited by MizzouRah : 03-16-2018 at 06:45 PM.

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